Don Young sorry for grabbing aide’s arm

Rep. Don Young has apologized for grabbing the arm of a congressional staffer at the Capitol.

His response came after a photo and video surfaced of the Alaska Republican forcefully holding the arm of a congressional aide on Thursday. Roll Call reported that the staffer tried to prevent the congressman from entering a GOP meeting through a side door. After holding his arm for several moments, Young let go and entered the meeting.

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“While returning to the GOP conference meeting to discuss the ongoing situation on our southern border, I was caught off guard by an unidentified individual who was physically blocking me from reentering the room,” Young said in a statement. “Regardless, my reaction was wrong, and I should have never placed my hands on the young man.”

NBC News producer Frank Thorp V posted a video and photo of the incident on his Twitter feed. The staffer held his arm “like it hurt” after Young had released it, according to Thorp.

Forrest Dunbar, the Democratic congressional candidate challenging Young in November, said the incident was further evidence that the congressman is “isolated” and “ineffective.”

“As a former congressional staffer, I know I’d lose a lot of respect for a Representative who did this to me or a colleague,” Dunbar wrote in an email. “It’s just extremely belittling in context. From Alaska’s perspective, the problem is that these constant incidents from Don, plus his ethics violations, have made him ineffective for the state. He has been stripped of his power to chair full committees, he’s isolated within his own party, and he’s greatly lessened his ability to work across the aisle. He was an effective, influential member once. He is no longer. And he never will be again.”